California’s War Dead

    Thomas B. Turner Jr.

    Thomas B. Turner Jr., 31

    Army, Sergeant
    Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany
    Gender: Male
    Hometown: Cottonwood
    There was no stopping him from joining the military. That is what he wanted to do -- help people. He gave his life and he didn't have to go, but he wanted to.
    — Cindy Lopes-Sykes, family friend

    An only child, Turner's father died when he was in high school. He put college off to take over the family business of trucking logs to lumber mills. Eight years later, he sold the business and attended Chico State. When he enlisted, Turner told friends that it felt like a calling.
    Times obituary
    « Manuel J. Holguin Jr., 07/15/2006
    Ryan J. Clark, 06/29/2006 »
     Permalink  Delicious  Digg  Facebook  Twitter

    One memory of Thomas B. Turner Jr.

    Sergeant Thomas Turner, you fought for justice on our planet earth, I speak for all humans who do not know you but live a peaceful life because men like you protect us from cowards and mad men who carry out atroucious acts of killing by hiding rather then standing and fighting. I am so sorry that you had to leave your beautiful wife and children behind but I know wherever you are you are a HERO.

    A friend who never met you, god bless you my friend.

    Parvinder Singh
    Soldier
    India

    — parvinder singh hs
    December 11, 2008 at 12:02 a.m.
    Permalink

    Share a memory of Thomas

    :
      Required
    :
      Optional
    :
    Email addresses are not republished or used for marketing purposes.
    Search by: Age, Base, Branch, Cemetery, Date of Death, Country of Birth, Gender, High School, Hometown, Marital Status, Name, Number of Children, Theater of Operation, Place of Death
    About this project
    Sources: Times research, Defense Department, iCasualties.org
    Help us complete our database. Something missing or wrong? Want to share a photo?
    California's War Dead is the Los Angeles Times' collection of stories about the 686 California servicemembers and 465 others based in California who died during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Find a Profile

    Search a last name

    Select a name

    The complete list »

    Recent deaths

    See all »

    Recent comments

    See all comments »
    About the Data Desk

    This page was created by the Data Desk, a team of reporters and Web developers at The Times.

    More from The Times’ Data Desk
    Subscribe to The Los Angeles Times Enjoy more stories like this for only $1 a week. Click here to order The Times.